John Smith: Description of Virginia

"Description of Virginia" was written by John Smith who lived from 1580 to
1631. He was one of the original settlers of Jamestown and was famous for his many
adventures and travels to different lands. He is a legend, but most historians doubt the
many stories about him.

John Smith's document begins by telling of the greatness of Virginia. The fertile soil,
rivers, ability to raise many different kinds of livestock, and abundance of safe harbors
for ship transportation and fishing are all attempts to lure people to the new world. He
also describes the many natural resources available in the new land, and how there is more
there than anywhere else in the world if there were only more men to produce the products
to further his attempt to entice.

He then speaks of the Native Americans in Virginia. He goes into great detail to
describe their physical appearance. He describes them as very strong and agile, yet
classifies them all as savages. He then tells of the Indians' clothes of animal skins and
feathers. Smith also describes the Indians' jewelry of beads and copper. He further speaks
of their jewelry by reporting on the pictures the Natives had painted all over their
bodies and the ornaments they dangle from the three holes in their ears.

At the time when Smith wrote this document, Virginia was not nearly as glorious as he
described it to be. Many settlers of Jamestown died from malaria and other diseases of the
new land that they had no prior exposure to. In addition, many others died of starvation
and local Indian attacks. In Virginia's first seventeen years, only 1,300 settlers
survived out of 8,500 who immigrated.

To promote colonization, the Virginia Company established the Headright system. Each
headright was a fifty-acre land grant that each new colonist would receive for every
member of their family. They could then grow tobacco, a very profitable cash crop, on this
land. To attract settlers through the headrights so that the settlement would not fail and
the Virginia Company would not lose money, the conditions in the New World were glorified
by people such as Smith.